Refrigerator shipping-box for crabs.



PATENTED JUNE 9, 1908.

2 SHBETSSHEET 1.

i .wHH. 7 M 7 7/ g W 8. DRYDEN. REFRIGERATOR SHIPPING BOX FOR GRABS.

APPLIUATION FILED JULY 16, 1907.

No. 889,915. PATENTED JUNE 9, 1908.

S. DRYDEN.

REPRiGERATOR SHIPPING BOX FOR ORABS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 16,1907.

2 SHEET$SHEET 2.

atboznmgo SHERMAN DRYDEN, OF GRISFIELD, MARYLAND.

REFRIGERATOR SHIPPING-BOX FOR CRABS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 9, 1908.

Application filed July 16, 1907. Serial No. 384,017.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SHERMAN DRYDEN,

citizen of the United States, residing at Crisfield, in the county of Somerset and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Refrigerator Shipping-Boxes for Grabs, of which the following is a specification. This invention provides a box designed most especially for shipping soft shell crabs and like crustacea, although it may be used for transporting erishable articles required to be kept cool wFile in transit.

The invention consists of a box metal lined, trays removably fitted in the box and having one side of less height than the other three sides, and a removable ice rece tacle arranged between tiers of trays, the atter having the lower sides adjacent to the ice receptacle to provide for a circulation and effective cooling of the air.

The invention also consists of the eculiar formation of the box, and the novel eatures and details of construction which hereinafter will be more particularly set forth and finally embodied in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a box embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical central longitudinal section thereof. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the box on the line acx of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a top plan view, the cover being omitted and an end portion of the botbom lining broken away. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of a corner portion of the crate, showing the parts on a larger scale. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of an end portion of a tray.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The box may be of any size, form and construction depending upon the material employed in its manufacture and the special urpose for which designed. In its preferred form the box is of rectangular formation and constructed of wood and is metal lined to retain the cold produced by ice or other temperature reducing agent. The body of the box comprises sides 1, ends 2 and a bottom 3. The ends 2 are set in a short distance from the extremities of the sides 1,

projecting portions and placed against the end pieces 2 and attached to each, thereby materially strengthening the box. The upper ends of the cleats 4 project a short distance above the box to form stops to engage with the ends of the cover 5 and prevent endwise movement thereof. Bars 6 are attached to the cleats 4 and to the sides 1 and serve as handles in addition to bracing and strengthening the structure. Clips '7 embrace the up or corners of the box and are attached to t e side pieces 1 and to the upper ends of the cleats 4 and strengthen the angles and prevent separation of the parts of the box at the upper corners which are subjected to strain and receive knocks in ordinary handling of the box during shipping. The clips 7 are pieces of sheet metal or strap iron bent into angular form and fitted to the corners of the box and bradded or tacked thereto.

The interior of the box is lined with sheet metal. The side pieces 8 of the lining are formed with bottom flanges 9 and end flanges 10. The end pieces 11 have bottom flanges 12 and are of a length to fit snugly between the side pieces 8. The bottom 13 is of a size to fit between the end pieces 11 and the side pieces 8 and rests upon the bottom flanges 9 and 12 and is held in place by means of wooden stri s 14 placed thereon and secured to the si e pieces 1 near their lower edges, the outer ends of said strips butting against the outer ends of the lower end portions of the end ieces 11 and retaining them in place, there y obviating the necessity for additional fastenings and cheapening the construction, besides enabling the parts to be readily removed either to be replaced or for any other purpose. The

strips 14 have their inner ends spaced a art a distance corresponding to the width 0 the tank or receptacle 15 designed to receive ice or other cooling agent for maintaining the proper temperature for preservation of the goods shipped in the box. The strips 14 also serve to support tiers of trays at each side of the tankor receptacle 15, besides preventing movement of said tank or receptacle lengthwise of the box. The upper edge )ortions of the ends 11 and sides 8 are ent outwardly over the upper edges of the end pieces 2 and the side piecesLthereby stiffening the lining and maintaining a close joint between it and the inclosing walls of the box. The upper outwardly bent end portions of the lining may be tacked to the corresponding walls of the box to insure positive connection between them.

The tank or receptacle 15 is centrally disposed within the box and is constructed of sheet metal and is narrow and of a length the box, and to prevent the water entering between the lining 13 and the bottom 3 short tubes 17 projected from the bottom of the tank or receptacle 15 in line with the outlets 16, enter the openings formed in the bottom parts 13 and 3. The tank or receptacle is removable from the box to admit of cleaning or for other purpose.

The cover 5 may be of any construction and held in place upon the box by suitable means, such for instance as wire fastenings 18 whose pointed ends are driven into the cover and the walls of the box, as indicated tank most clearly in Fig. 1. To admit of the or rece tacle 15 being recharged with ice, especia y when transporting the goods to distant points, the cover 5 is formed with an opening which is closed by means of a door 19,, the latter being hinged at one edge to the cover and provided at its opposite edge with a pull piece 20. The door 19 is prevented from dropping through the opening in the door are cover by suitable means and as indicated the edges of the door and the edges of the cover borderin upon the opening closed by said eveled. It will thus be understood that access to the goods is prevented while the tank or rece tacle 15 is readily accessible to admit of quic 1y recharging the same with ice at prearranged points in shipment.

The trays 21 are comparatively shallow so as to receive a bed of grass or like material and a layer of crabs or goods to be transported so as to be free from jolt and pressure. One side of each of the trays is made of a less height than the other three sides, as indicated at 22, the purpose being to provide a space 23 between the upper edge of the low side 22 and the bottom of the tray next above and resting upon the three sides or walls of the tray next below. In arranging the trays they are placed with the low sides 22 next to the sides of the tank or receptacle 15 so that the air may have free access to the sides of said tank or receptacle to be cooled. This is ab solutely essential in the shipping of crustacea, more articularly in the transportation of soft shel crabs in order to insure the delivcry of a maximum'amount of the crabs in marketable or prime condition. The trays 21 are of cheap construction, being formed of wood and are provided at opposite ends with inner handles 24 consisting of short strips of wood tacked to the inner-sides of the end pieces near the top thereof. The trays 21 are of a width corresponding to the distance between the sides of the tank or receptacle 15 and the ends of the box, the combined length of the two tiers of trays and the receptacle 15 being such as to fill the distance between the ends of the box so as to prevent shifting or play of the parts during handling and transportation.

The box and appurtenances are particularly adapted for the crab industry and for shipment of such crustacea-to distant points, as an exceedingly low percentage of loss is experienced by perishing of the crabs during shlpment, as compared with the best methods now 1n vogue.

In filling a box, the tank or receptacle is placed in position between the inner ends of the strips 14, thereby forming a partition which separates the end portions of the box.

The spaces at the sides of the tank or recep- V tacle 15 and below the upper edges of the strips 14 are packed with crabs arranged in rows upon a bed of sea grass, or like material,

it being understood that the crabs are packed in one la er only. The trays 21 acked in the usuai manner with a layer 0 crabs in rows upon a bed of grass or like material are now placed within the end spaces of the box upon the strips 14 so as to form tiers. The number of trays to each tier will depend upon the height of the box and may vary. The lowermost tray is placed upon the strips 14, whereas the other trays are placed one u on the other in vertical series, care being ta en to arrange the trays with the low side 22 adjacent to the sides of the cooling tank or receptacle 15. The combined height of a series of trays and the stri s 14 correspond to the inner depth of the ox, so that when the cover 5 is placed in position no lost space results.

It is to be understood that the trays and cover touch the layersof crabs lightly to prevent vertical dis lacement thereof and injury thereto in handling and shipping.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A shipping box consisting of a bottom and inclosing walls, a metal lining for the bottom and walls of the box, said lining consisting of a bottom, end and side pieces, the said side pieces having bottom flanges confined between the bottom lining and the bottom of the box, and also having inwardly extended side flanges confined between'the end walls of the box and the end pieces of the lining, and strips secured to the side Walls of the box and having their ends abutting against the end pieces of the lining.

2. A shipping box having a metal lining for the bottom and sides of the box, a censupported coo three sides of the trays.

In testimony whereof I in presence of two Witnesses.

SHERMAN DBYDEN.

Witnesses 2' WILLIAM OQHALL, THOS. E. STEVENSON.

upon one another and upon the strips, the sides of the trays adjacent to the ing tank being lower than the remaining aflix my signature 

